-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mike Tyson has always relied on a fighter 's instinct -- both in and out of the boxing ring .

The American was once idolized as the youngest heavyweight champion of the world only to be swiped off his pedestal by criminal convictions and drug addictions .

But at the age of 47 , and long since retired from the ring , the provocative pugilist told CNN he is only now facing his biggest battle .

`` Being responsible - that 's going to be the most difficult fight in my life , '' Tyson told CNN 's Rachel Nichols for her Unguarded series .

`` I 've never been responsible before . Just being a good husband and a good father . This is the biggest fight . This is the fight I 'm taking with open arms . ''

Tyson , who is married to Kiki , his third wife , and has fathered eight children , is determined to focus on his family and a new generation of young boxers after a high-profile and controversial career .

Fatherhood for the man dubbed `` Iron Mike '' is framed against his own experience as a shy kid turned street fighter growing up in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn .

`` Drugs , thefts , gang infested , crime infested , '' Tyson recalled of his childhood neighborhood . `` No hope .

`` To this day , I ca n't figure how from there , at that particular time , I made it to where I am now . ''

A teenage Tyson , by now spending time in a reform school , found an exit when his talents in the ring were spotted by respected trainer Cus D'Amato .

At the age of 18 , Tyson turned professional and was soon undefeated in 22 bouts . Two years later , in 1986 , the young American knocked out Trevor Berbick to become the youngest heavyweight world champion in history .

Tyson went undefeated for another four years but , with the benefit of hindsight , he now sees that heady era of fame and fortune very differently .

`` I do n't like that time in my life , '' Tyson continued . `` I did n't like the person I was back then .

`` Even with all that money and all that success I had , I did n't get anything done . My kids never saw me . I was a horrible father . ''

There were more life lessons for Tyson when in 1992 he was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years in prison .

On his release , the Brooklyn boxer returned to the ring but controversy soon followed in the infamous `` bite fight '' against Evander Holyfield .

During the duo 's second heavyweight title bout in 1997 , Tyson chewed off a chunk of Holyfield 's ear . He was later served with a one-year boxing ban .

But just as Tyson 's reflections of the highs have changed over time , the same can be said of these low points .

Commenting on the so-called `` bite fight '' Tyson said : `` Even though I was an undisciplined it was the only way I could get any kind of relief .

`` I 'm sad I bit his ear . I really am sorry because I like Evander , he 's a good guy , a really good guy . ''

Of the rape charges , Tyson contemplated : `` That may cause more controversy in my life , but that 's not the lowest moment of my life . ''

In his interview with Nichols , he describes the tragic death of his four-year-old daughter Exodus in 2009 as his nadir .

The highlights for the 47-year-old Tyson , who is tentatively clean from his addictions , remain ahead .

`` I 'm accomplishing so much and getting so much done now as a human being , than I could 've ever done back then in the prime of my fighting career , '' he explained .

`` The best I am , and the best I 've ever been , is right now . This is the best I 'm going to ever be , compared to who I was before . ''

Tyson retired from the ring in 2005 and has been fighting his way out of bankruptcy with a one-man Broadway show , cameos in Hollywood films and now as author of his autobiography `` Undisputed Truth . ''

There is also a new project that may bring his career full circle . Tyson , under the umbrella of Iron Mike Productions , is now working as a promoter for a batch of promising young boxers .

`` I 'll give them the best advice I possibly can , '' said Tyson . `` I 'm just never gon na baby them . This is just what it is , you know .

`` They have to be responsible , like I was n't . I was n't a responsible fighter . ''

Out of the ring , Tyson , with his trademark black tattoo arcing over his left eye , is looking for responsibility and perhaps even redemption at last .

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Mike Tyson found fame as the youngest heavyweight world champion in 1986

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The American now says : `` I did n't like the person I was back then ''

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Tyson , who spent time in jail , says being responsible is now his biggest fight

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At 47 , Tyson hopes to use his life lessons to help young boxers